It is very very early in the morning by Paris standards - 6am. This is like the middle of the night here. I couldn't sleep so I gave up and decided to start my day US style - with coffee & computer.
Yesterday I explored a whole new part of the city - the 2nd arrondissement. My cooking instructor told me about an amazing gourmet shop located in Le Bon Marche which does not have any affiliation with Macy's - thank goodness. She told me that it was grander that Galerie Lafayette which I could not believe so I had to see it myself. I got there with no problem by train and even found a whole new shopping area. I wandered a bit and even purchased a gorgeous new purse which was actually on sale! Sales are not that common here so I just HAD to purchase it. I didn't spend too much time in this area b/c I was excited to see this gourmet mega store.
The Bon Marche is très chic. It consists of two buildings - one for clothes and regular dept. store stuff and a whole separate building just for the epicerie. Well, I walked into this place and could not believe my eyes. It is 30,000 square feet of all things culinary. Most everything else in Paris is on a relatively small scale so it was a bit of a shock to see this grand mega-store. Food, books, some gear, produce - everything you can imagine and it's from all over the world. It's like the Costco of my dreams where every aisle is curated and all the products are made with care. Except it was very, very expensive.
I went to get a mini shopping cart b/c I knew that I would want to spend some time wandering without carrying a bunch of stuff - and I had that giant new purse to lug around as well. The shopping carts were all chained together and connected with these red rubber keys. I could not for the life of me figure out how to free them and of course nobody was going to help me out. I am sure I was entertaining to look at pulling and pushing carts together over and over.... Finally another guy came up to get one and I watched so I could mimic his actions - I find myself doing that a lot here. Find a local, watch and then repeat. It works. Turns out it costs 1 EU to use a shopping cart. You have to slip in a coin and voila, the chains release.
It looks like this is where locals come to get fancy dinner party fixins. Seemed to be a lot of folks shopping for special dinner items like beef tenderloin etc. I can't imagine doing regular day to day shopping here b/c you would go broke. Yet, I still managed to fill my cart with a mix of food for the apt. and gifts for back home. In fact, my bags were so heavy from this shopping excursion that I could not take the train back home as planned. I had to take a taxi back to the apt. to unload - the first time taking a taxi within the city since I've been here! I will return to this neighborhood soon because there is plenty more to see without the baggage of baggage.
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking and walking and walking. I wandered around streets near the apt. that I had not been through before. There are so many little nooks and alleyways to explore it's easy to spend hours going through the maze. I still haven't run into Rue Rosiers which is the Jewish neighborhood. I know it is around here in this spider web of a neighborhood - I'll find it soon.
My plan for the evening was to visit Centre Pompidou as it stays open till 10pm every night. Isn't that great that a museum that stays open late so locals can actually visit it when they are not working? I know there is a cost for this but it is clear that the people support the arts as they are so integrated with the city. Another reason why I love it here. Alas, my plans of evening museum visits were thwarted by tired feet and the call of the tub. I am in love with the big tub here and have enjoyed soaking every night. I fell asleep early and ping - was up at 4 am for no earthly reason. Oh well, the truth of the matter is that I have nowhere to be and can let the day take me where it will. I am looking forward to the next adventure - tired or not.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Left Bank Continued
Ahh....I have followers! I was starting to wonder if these posts should just be long emails to Jen. After all, she has to read them and love them. She's obligated. My mom would be too if she knew what a blog was, or the internet for that matter.
Yesterday was all about wandering the Left Bank. Now that I know the walking path and have my landmarks situated appropriately, I am not getting lost quite so much. I started my day with petit dejeuner (bfast) at Le Pain Quotidien. It was recommended by my apartment owners and they seem to have great taste so far. A bit about the owners of this Adorable Paris Apartment (capitalized b/c that is their actual name of the place on VRBO) The owners are B. Ruby Rich and Mary Peelen from San Francisco. I found this place by trolling through VRBO, not through any connections. I believe Ruby and Mary are a couple, they have the same home address and it's SF and all.... I googled Ruby and found out that she is a prominent feminist film theorist and is a professor. Fancy that, I just found them by chance. OK, back to my day. Le Pain Quotidien is also in the NY - I recognized the pretty ashy gray/white washed out Shabby Chic-y look of the shop. This is considered kind of a health food place and there were folks there eating lots of greens and quinoa. I sat next to two beautiful and stylish Japanese ladies probably in their 30s. And when I say sat next to I mean practically sat on top of. The Paris restaurants shove their tables so close together because 1. The people are smaller and 2. They need to make the most of the precious real estate. It is kind of like NY but amplified. The Japanese ladies were speaking to each other in Japanese of course. I was picking out words I understood and strung together a scenario they were discussing about having friends in Paris. I kind of wish I wasn't listening so intently because then I started to respond to the waiter in Japanese instead of French. All of my partially understood languages were running together in my brain and coming out as Frenganese. So now my table neighbors know that I understand at least some of what they are saying and my waiter is confused. Thank goodness I was done and ready to go on my way.
I saw several flyers up around the news stands with the following statement: "Ben Ladin something something something parle de France". Meaning Bin Laden speaks about France and yes, they call him Ben. That was not a typo. I read this just as I was passing the crowded French ministry building with multiple security points and I did have a moment of fear. As soon as I walked past the fear was gone but I was wondering what Bin Ladin was saying....I found out later that he released a tape where he calls for the French army to leave Afghanistan. Along with a few threats to the French. Oh, and the tape has been verified. Great. I also watched the news of the explosive materials sent from Yemen to the US. I wonder if this is going to be what it's like the rest of our lives now. Will we talk to future generations about the good old days when we lived w/o terrorist fear?
I wandered through the gorgeous windy streets between St. Germain and the Seine. I visited Rue de Buci which is in a very old part of Paris and has a bevvy of beautiful shops. I went to a papeterie (paper shop) and found a great souvenir for Chelsea - she will love it. I also found a little something for my pals Annie and Sarah and a few things pour moi. I ended up on a little street that Jen and I were on before where there are several fondue restaurants. I remembered it fondly and thought it would be fun to come back when Reese is here. She is going to be so lucky b/c I will have already made all the rookie mistakes by the time she gets here. She will be able to get to and fro so easily.... I stopped at a lovely seafood bar for lunch and had my first taste of French french fries. Delicieux! I visited the Taschen book store which is really more like a gallery. I also found a small jar of pimente d'esplette which is a dried mild/sweet pepper that is very expensive back home. I loved finding it in a small jar to ensure freshness - and it was cheap!
My walk home was direct - I knew where I was going! I ended up taking a street to the Seine that was lined with tons of art galleries. What a treat! I was tired from the day and thought it would be a good night to do some laundry. You have to plan to do laundry here because you have to actually turn the machines off when they are done. They don't turn off automatically and you can't leave them running due to the poor venting in the old bldgs. I don't know if this is just my washer and dryer or if it's a French/European thing. I am so used to doing laundry along with a zillion other things at the same time. Here, you have to be conscious and present. I know there is a lesson in there somewhere and I hope to have it down by the time I leave lovely France.
Yesterday was all about wandering the Left Bank. Now that I know the walking path and have my landmarks situated appropriately, I am not getting lost quite so much. I started my day with petit dejeuner (bfast) at Le Pain Quotidien. It was recommended by my apartment owners and they seem to have great taste so far. A bit about the owners of this Adorable Paris Apartment (capitalized b/c that is their actual name of the place on VRBO) The owners are B. Ruby Rich and Mary Peelen from San Francisco. I found this place by trolling through VRBO, not through any connections. I believe Ruby and Mary are a couple, they have the same home address and it's SF and all.... I googled Ruby and found out that she is a prominent feminist film theorist and is a professor. Fancy that, I just found them by chance. OK, back to my day. Le Pain Quotidien is also in the NY - I recognized the pretty ashy gray/white washed out Shabby Chic-y look of the shop. This is considered kind of a health food place and there were folks there eating lots of greens and quinoa. I sat next to two beautiful and stylish Japanese ladies probably in their 30s. And when I say sat next to I mean practically sat on top of. The Paris restaurants shove their tables so close together because 1. The people are smaller and 2. They need to make the most of the precious real estate. It is kind of like NY but amplified. The Japanese ladies were speaking to each other in Japanese of course. I was picking out words I understood and strung together a scenario they were discussing about having friends in Paris. I kind of wish I wasn't listening so intently because then I started to respond to the waiter in Japanese instead of French. All of my partially understood languages were running together in my brain and coming out as Frenganese. So now my table neighbors know that I understand at least some of what they are saying and my waiter is confused. Thank goodness I was done and ready to go on my way.
I saw several flyers up around the news stands with the following statement: "Ben Ladin something something something parle de France". Meaning Bin Laden speaks about France and yes, they call him Ben. That was not a typo. I read this just as I was passing the crowded French ministry building with multiple security points and I did have a moment of fear. As soon as I walked past the fear was gone but I was wondering what Bin Ladin was saying....I found out later that he released a tape where he calls for the French army to leave Afghanistan. Along with a few threats to the French. Oh, and the tape has been verified. Great. I also watched the news of the explosive materials sent from Yemen to the US. I wonder if this is going to be what it's like the rest of our lives now. Will we talk to future generations about the good old days when we lived w/o terrorist fear?
I wandered through the gorgeous windy streets between St. Germain and the Seine. I visited Rue de Buci which is in a very old part of Paris and has a bevvy of beautiful shops. I went to a papeterie (paper shop) and found a great souvenir for Chelsea - she will love it. I also found a little something for my pals Annie and Sarah and a few things pour moi. I ended up on a little street that Jen and I were on before where there are several fondue restaurants. I remembered it fondly and thought it would be fun to come back when Reese is here. She is going to be so lucky b/c I will have already made all the rookie mistakes by the time she gets here. She will be able to get to and fro so easily.... I stopped at a lovely seafood bar for lunch and had my first taste of French french fries. Delicieux! I visited the Taschen book store which is really more like a gallery. I also found a small jar of pimente d'esplette which is a dried mild/sweet pepper that is very expensive back home. I loved finding it in a small jar to ensure freshness - and it was cheap!
My walk home was direct - I knew where I was going! I ended up taking a street to the Seine that was lined with tons of art galleries. What a treat! I was tired from the day and thought it would be a good night to do some laundry. You have to plan to do laundry here because you have to actually turn the machines off when they are done. They don't turn off automatically and you can't leave them running due to the poor venting in the old bldgs. I don't know if this is just my washer and dryer or if it's a French/European thing. I am so used to doing laundry along with a zillion other things at the same time. Here, you have to be conscious and present. I know there is a lesson in there somewhere and I hope to have it down by the time I leave lovely France.
Friday, October 29, 2010
"La Rive Gauche pense , et la Rive Droite depense" - The Left Bank thinks and the Right Bank spends.
Yesterday was the first day I had anything officially scheduled. I signed up to take a cooking class at La Cuisine Paris, which is an English speaking cooking school. We were told to meet at an open air market on Place Maubert, which is situated on the Left Bank where the famous Sorbonne is located. Also home to lots of bookstores and all things academic. Fittingly, my apt is on the right bank which is known for shopping, gays and chocolate. After careful consultation of the miniature Paris train map which required reading glasses and lots of light, I mapped my route. I would need to take 3 trains to get there but no big deal, I could handle it now that I am a train riding pro. I got up early and had my first Skype video call with Jen - so fun. I got to see her cute face and of course little Bert and Percy. I heart Skype. Especially after I learned I was racking up International roaming fees all over the place. AT & T contacted me to make sure I knew what I was doing over here in Paris. Turns out I didn't. I ended up buying some sort of data plan so I wouldn't get charged $20 a second, or something like that. All I could do was relive the conversations I had with Jen before I left about what I was doing with my data plan. I of course told her I had it covered and not to worry. I am due a giant "I told you so"...
OK, on to the fun stuff. The cooking class was fantastic. Our little english speaking group met on time and consisted of a young girl from NY who is living in Paris trying to get some culinary chops before going to the Culinary Institute of America; an older couple from Boston (he was lovely, wife not so much); a young guy from Australia who lives in London and me. Our instructor Diane is from Chicago and has been living in Paris for 8 years with her Belgian husband. She went to culinary art school here in Paris and is now a private chef/instructor. Jane and Oliver own the cooking school - she is from Chicago and he is French. OK, now you know the group.
We met at the oldest open air market still operating in Paris. It's only about a block long in the middle of a very busy street (St. Germain). The stalls were filled with crap along the outside (bad scarves and equally bad bric a brac) but in the middle were serious food vendors. There was a guy selling foie gras and other duck like products. The vendor even gave each of us samples of foie (apparantly unusual) and I gave mine to Diane - I just can't get into these liver products as much as I try. Diane huddled with us to tell us here menu idea based on what was at the market. Endive with roquefort mousse and fresh walnuts; crostini with eggplant pate, sauteed wild mushrooms and grape relish; pumpkin soup with root veg garnish and mousse au chocolat. The pumpkin soup was made with a special pumpkin in season just for a short while called potimarron which is supposed to have a chestnut flavor. They are beautiful ruddy orange small squashes that look familiar - I bet we have something like them back home. We all loved the menu and along we went to purchase our goods. It is mushroom and grape season here and they were plentiful. What's interesting is that the markets also sell goods imported from other countries (mangoes and avacados from Peru; lemons from some other tropical land etc). Boy, that would never fly in our local-is-god farmers markets. At least these vendors are required by law to state where the products come from so nobody is duped into thinking their oranges came from down the road. We learned that the vendors here have been selling for generations. It is very difficult to obtain a new vendor license - apparantly it takes approx. 75 years to get a license. That means you would have to apply at birth and then bequeath it to someone upon your death to actually operate a new stall. So, it never happens. Instead, they are either handed down generation to generation or sold. It is required by law that there is a fresh market available in most neighborhoods in order to provide access to fresh food to all. However, the reality is that most young Parisians are like the rest of us, they want convenience. The supermarket and prepared food business is growing while old folks and foodies are the ones keeping the open air markets alive.
After we scored our goods, we started on our walk to the cooking school to prepare our lunch. I was told it was a quick 10 min walk and that we would be heading the Marais district. Wait a minute...that's where I came from and it took me 3 trains to get here. How could we possibly get back there in 10 min by foot???? Well, here's how. You cross 3 gorgeous bridges, pass the Notre Dame and Ile St. Louis and guess where you end up? On the back end of Hotel de Ville. That's right, the same Hotel de Ville I keep running into that's in my neighborhood. Turns out that the left bank is a mere 10 min. walk for me - sheesh why did I take the train(s)???? I could get there faster by foot.
The cooking school is located on a street along the river - gorgeous. The class was very hands on and we each took part in creating the dishes. All turned out delicious and beautiful. I learned great ideas from Diane and was impressed at her ability to spontaneously come up with a menu that she could teach to a group of folks with varied culinary skill. Lots of pix will follow once I/Jen figure that out. I am scheduled to take another class next week - French Autumn Bistro. I'm looking forward to it and recommend this to future visitors.
The cooking class ended at 2ish and I wandered down to the river to check it out. It was a gorgeous crisp sunny day and noted that one of the river tour boats took off right here. I decided on the fly to take a river cruise to relax and help me remember the layout of the city. It was a great 2 hour ride up and down the Seine.
I've decided that my night time hang out spot is up the street near Centre Pompidou. It's alive and bustling with many cafes and bars which I guess are really one in the same thing here. l went back to the place I was the night before (am I now a regular??) and sat outside with a nice spot of tea. Excellent people watching here - I'll be back again. I wandered all around this area and stumbled upon two landmarks: 1. The Camper Store (bought 1 pair) and 2. Starbucks. I learned that the French do not hate Starbucks but in fact like it b/c they think its a CHEAPER cafe option. It's true, getting a cup of coffee/tea at Sbux is cheaper than sitting at a regular cafe and you can hang out inside as long as you want w/o attitude from a waiter. Interesting.....I also noticed a lot of Frapuccino drinkers here - maybe they were all American tourists though.
There is a movie theater in this neighborhood and I noticed that they were playing "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", the new Woody Allen flick. Ah - a movie in English! I was there terribly early but got a ticket and went to grab a seat. Then the theater girl scolded me and told me that I have to wait outside until called. Whatevs. I strolled around for a bit and came back to a huge crowd. Needless to say by the time I found my tiny theater (it was a multiplex meaning there were 6 theaters each with about 25 seats) it was packed and I was relegated to one of the only seats in the front row. I enjoyed the movie but wouldn't recommend it to folks back home. Netflix worthy only.
That's it for now - today my plan is to venture (by foot!) to the Left Bank again and explore all those brainy streets we whizzed by yesterday.
OK, on to the fun stuff. The cooking class was fantastic. Our little english speaking group met on time and consisted of a young girl from NY who is living in Paris trying to get some culinary chops before going to the Culinary Institute of America; an older couple from Boston (he was lovely, wife not so much); a young guy from Australia who lives in London and me. Our instructor Diane is from Chicago and has been living in Paris for 8 years with her Belgian husband. She went to culinary art school here in Paris and is now a private chef/instructor. Jane and Oliver own the cooking school - she is from Chicago and he is French. OK, now you know the group.
We met at the oldest open air market still operating in Paris. It's only about a block long in the middle of a very busy street (St. Germain). The stalls were filled with crap along the outside (bad scarves and equally bad bric a brac) but in the middle were serious food vendors. There was a guy selling foie gras and other duck like products. The vendor even gave each of us samples of foie (apparantly unusual) and I gave mine to Diane - I just can't get into these liver products as much as I try. Diane huddled with us to tell us here menu idea based on what was at the market. Endive with roquefort mousse and fresh walnuts; crostini with eggplant pate, sauteed wild mushrooms and grape relish; pumpkin soup with root veg garnish and mousse au chocolat. The pumpkin soup was made with a special pumpkin in season just for a short while called potimarron which is supposed to have a chestnut flavor. They are beautiful ruddy orange small squashes that look familiar - I bet we have something like them back home. We all loved the menu and along we went to purchase our goods. It is mushroom and grape season here and they were plentiful. What's interesting is that the markets also sell goods imported from other countries (mangoes and avacados from Peru; lemons from some other tropical land etc). Boy, that would never fly in our local-is-god farmers markets. At least these vendors are required by law to state where the products come from so nobody is duped into thinking their oranges came from down the road. We learned that the vendors here have been selling for generations. It is very difficult to obtain a new vendor license - apparantly it takes approx. 75 years to get a license. That means you would have to apply at birth and then bequeath it to someone upon your death to actually operate a new stall. So, it never happens. Instead, they are either handed down generation to generation or sold. It is required by law that there is a fresh market available in most neighborhoods in order to provide access to fresh food to all. However, the reality is that most young Parisians are like the rest of us, they want convenience. The supermarket and prepared food business is growing while old folks and foodies are the ones keeping the open air markets alive.
After we scored our goods, we started on our walk to the cooking school to prepare our lunch. I was told it was a quick 10 min walk and that we would be heading the Marais district. Wait a minute...that's where I came from and it took me 3 trains to get here. How could we possibly get back there in 10 min by foot???? Well, here's how. You cross 3 gorgeous bridges, pass the Notre Dame and Ile St. Louis and guess where you end up? On the back end of Hotel de Ville. That's right, the same Hotel de Ville I keep running into that's in my neighborhood. Turns out that the left bank is a mere 10 min. walk for me - sheesh why did I take the train(s)???? I could get there faster by foot.
The cooking school is located on a street along the river - gorgeous. The class was very hands on and we each took part in creating the dishes. All turned out delicious and beautiful. I learned great ideas from Diane and was impressed at her ability to spontaneously come up with a menu that she could teach to a group of folks with varied culinary skill. Lots of pix will follow once I/Jen figure that out. I am scheduled to take another class next week - French Autumn Bistro. I'm looking forward to it and recommend this to future visitors.
The cooking class ended at 2ish and I wandered down to the river to check it out. It was a gorgeous crisp sunny day and noted that one of the river tour boats took off right here. I decided on the fly to take a river cruise to relax and help me remember the layout of the city. It was a great 2 hour ride up and down the Seine.
I've decided that my night time hang out spot is up the street near Centre Pompidou. It's alive and bustling with many cafes and bars which I guess are really one in the same thing here. l went back to the place I was the night before (am I now a regular??) and sat outside with a nice spot of tea. Excellent people watching here - I'll be back again. I wandered all around this area and stumbled upon two landmarks: 1. The Camper Store (bought 1 pair) and 2. Starbucks. I learned that the French do not hate Starbucks but in fact like it b/c they think its a CHEAPER cafe option. It's true, getting a cup of coffee/tea at Sbux is cheaper than sitting at a regular cafe and you can hang out inside as long as you want w/o attitude from a waiter. Interesting.....I also noticed a lot of Frapuccino drinkers here - maybe they were all American tourists though.
There is a movie theater in this neighborhood and I noticed that they were playing "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", the new Woody Allen flick. Ah - a movie in English! I was there terribly early but got a ticket and went to grab a seat. Then the theater girl scolded me and told me that I have to wait outside until called. Whatevs. I strolled around for a bit and came back to a huge crowd. Needless to say by the time I found my tiny theater (it was a multiplex meaning there were 6 theaters each with about 25 seats) it was packed and I was relegated to one of the only seats in the front row. I enjoyed the movie but wouldn't recommend it to folks back home. Netflix worthy only.
That's it for now - today my plan is to venture (by foot!) to the Left Bank again and explore all those brainy streets we whizzed by yesterday.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Neighborhood
Yesterday was my first "real" day in Paris as I was actually awake and conscious of my surroundings. I did what everyone actually tells you to do to combat jet lag which is get acclimated to local time immediately after arriving. I basically stayed up for 24 hours and fell asleep as soon as it started getting dark here. It actually works if you can do it. So...my adventures begin.
I decided that day one would be spent exploring my immediate surroundings. Energized by Via and a lot of sleep I thought I'd find Marche des Enfents Rouge which is a the oldest covered open air market in Paris. I took out my handy walking tour card and carefully mapped my route. I walked and walked until suddenly in front of me was the Hotel de Ville. Wait a minute....that's not on this walking tour. That's on walking tour card #7! I obviously took a wrong turn but decided to stay and enjoy the sites. Paris does not wake up until around 10am. The streets and businesses are silent at 8 which is the time most of us working folk (or formerly working folk) start our days. I did a lot of window shopping and realized that my neighborhood is in some kind of wholesale accessories vortex. There are a zillion shops that carry all the same bad jewelry and fake pashmina. They all say wholesale but are open to the public - must mean something different here....
I wandered back to where I began my journey and decided to go the opposite direction that my instinct was telling me to go. Lo and behold, I found the market. And it was sad. I may have been too early but there were only a few stalls open and there were no shoppers but me and another early-bird special couple. The market had a flair for mediterranean and I would have been really lucky if I was in the mood for shwarma or couscous. However, I did find a gem of a shop behind the stalls. There was a beautiful olive oil shop with an equally beautiful young shop keeper. After speaking to her in my broken French she let me off the hook and started speaking to me in perfect English. I make it a point to always start by speaking French and thankfully, usually by the end of the conversation we are speaking English. Back to the olive oil....this shop was highly designed and nothing like its rustic surroundings. Each olive oil for sale had information about the olive grower as well as the qualities of the oil. I tasted a few oils and decided on one based solely on the fact that I could not taste any more oil. Mandarine was my selection which is an oil from Provence flavored with skins of mandarin orange. Yum. I also got a jar of picholine olive paste which I will whip into something good when Larisa arrives....maybe with a piece of red mullet from the fancy fish market across the street?
I also found a great jewelry shop nearby which was nothing like the wholesale shops I saw along the way. I of course purchased a couple items and experienced my first snotty French lady. Even after I said my "bonjour madame" and several "mercis" she was not interested in engaging with me. Whatever - first and only one so far. I also found a very fancy coffee shop and by coffee shop I mean that they only sell whole bean coffee and don't make drinks. I think I impressed the lady by asking specifically for an Indonesian coffee - she liked that I knew my regions. I walked away with about a 1/2 lb of Sumatra (it is in grams but I have no clue on how many equals what) ground to my specification (paper cone). The packaging was superb as is most of the packaging in these artisinal shops. Beautiful handwritten tags on self sealing bags - love these touches. I then wandered into a rose store. Yup, this gorgeous shop was all about roses and only roses. I purchased a rose candle for my apt and after the shop lady wrapped and placed it in my bag, she cut a fresh rose and added that in too just for flair. Along the way I ran across a shop that sold chicken and all things poultry. I knew it must be good b/c there were folks waiting in line to get lunch emporter (to go). It had one of those fabulous rotisseries out front with chickens roasting round and round. However, the French have gone several steps beyond our average grocery store rotisserie chicken. They place a tray of whole peeled young potatoes on the bottom of the rotisserie that catches the juices of the roasting birds as they twirl above. Yes, they are basically roasted in chicken fat and yes, they are freakin delicious little salty orbs of goodness.
I made it back to the apartment by wandering through the tiny side streets and taking note of all the places I want to find again when Larisa arrives. I've already forgotten all of them. I used to remember everything and every detail of everything. I have noticed lately that my memory is not what it used to be. Oh well, I dropped my treats off at the apt and after a short rest and lunch of the chicken lovingly described above, I decided to find Mariage Freres. This is a famous and fancy tea shop that Jen and I tried to visit last time we were here. We wandered until we found it and right as we got there they stopped service. I vowed I would go back and alas I did. It took me a long time to find it as it's on a tiny side street. I wandered for a good hour or so and ended up at the Hotel de Ville....again.... As I was reviewing my map trying to figure out how I ended up back here, my cell phone rang with Jen's ring tone! I was so excited to hear her voice and even more excited to learn she called me using Skype! It felt like she was right next door and not a zillion miles away - very comforting. She of course wanted to go into research mode for me to help me find my way around better and true to form, by the end of the night here she had already sent me links to Paris apps etc. She's a gem. OK, back to my day - long story short I FINALLY found the tea shop and it was open for service this time. The shop has a retail space up front where they sell fresh scooped tea leaves from beautiful giant metal tea bins. There must be a thousand varieties stacked floor to ceiling with only one guy carefully scooping and weighing tea for shoppers. They also sell already tinned teas in gorgeous packaging (of course). No tea bags here, you wouldn't even dare to ask for them. Whole leaf only of course. There is a small dining room in back where they serve these teas + tea like treats. The waiters all wear off-white linen suits and ties and all are very cute and very gay. The tea menu is a zillion pages with tiny type - every kind of team you can imagine except no tisanes (herbal teas). I didn't want caffeine so my choice was limited to red tea which is not my usual cup of tea (pun intended). I had the rouge avec vanille et agrumes which is African rooibos red with vanilla and orange. It was served in a big porcelin tea pot covered with a metal jacket to keep the heat. It was delicious and worth the 9 EU just for the experience. I know that spending over $10 for a pot of tea is preposterous but I loved it. After that experience I didn't need to buy any tea although I was very tempted to get a couple tea tins...
I was getting geared up for a long walk home and started wandering in the general direction of my apt. Lo and behold after turning a corner I recognized the street ahead was Rue Rambateau (my street). This place is basically around the corner from my apartment and I had gone in a big giant maze of a circle trying to find it. Now I know, I can get there by foot in under 5 min. Whatever
I decided to go out to dinner and tried the sushi joint down the street. I just didn't feel like eating a lot of meat and thought it was a good option. Well, it was and although I was very worried about eating sushi in France it was actually pretty good and the miso soup made me feel at home. Folks here don't really eat dinner until 8:00 or so - which I love. I ended the day with a long soak in the unusually large bathtub for this tiny apt. Read my depressing book (more will come on that later) and fell asleep by midnight. Ahh....the French life feels good.
Still haven't figured out how to post pix. I have them all on my iPhone and don't know how to upload them onto my computer. Of course Jen is researching this for me and I'm sure will have an answer shortly. So...pix of these adventures will eventually follow.
I decided that day one would be spent exploring my immediate surroundings. Energized by Via and a lot of sleep I thought I'd find Marche des Enfents Rouge which is a the oldest covered open air market in Paris. I took out my handy walking tour card and carefully mapped my route. I walked and walked until suddenly in front of me was the Hotel de Ville. Wait a minute....that's not on this walking tour. That's on walking tour card #7! I obviously took a wrong turn but decided to stay and enjoy the sites. Paris does not wake up until around 10am. The streets and businesses are silent at 8 which is the time most of us working folk (or formerly working folk) start our days. I did a lot of window shopping and realized that my neighborhood is in some kind of wholesale accessories vortex. There are a zillion shops that carry all the same bad jewelry and fake pashmina. They all say wholesale but are open to the public - must mean something different here....
I wandered back to where I began my journey and decided to go the opposite direction that my instinct was telling me to go. Lo and behold, I found the market. And it was sad. I may have been too early but there were only a few stalls open and there were no shoppers but me and another early-bird special couple. The market had a flair for mediterranean and I would have been really lucky if I was in the mood for shwarma or couscous. However, I did find a gem of a shop behind the stalls. There was a beautiful olive oil shop with an equally beautiful young shop keeper. After speaking to her in my broken French she let me off the hook and started speaking to me in perfect English. I make it a point to always start by speaking French and thankfully, usually by the end of the conversation we are speaking English. Back to the olive oil....this shop was highly designed and nothing like its rustic surroundings. Each olive oil for sale had information about the olive grower as well as the qualities of the oil. I tasted a few oils and decided on one based solely on the fact that I could not taste any more oil. Mandarine was my selection which is an oil from Provence flavored with skins of mandarin orange. Yum. I also got a jar of picholine olive paste which I will whip into something good when Larisa arrives....maybe with a piece of red mullet from the fancy fish market across the street?
I also found a great jewelry shop nearby which was nothing like the wholesale shops I saw along the way. I of course purchased a couple items and experienced my first snotty French lady. Even after I said my "bonjour madame" and several "mercis" she was not interested in engaging with me. Whatever - first and only one so far. I also found a very fancy coffee shop and by coffee shop I mean that they only sell whole bean coffee and don't make drinks. I think I impressed the lady by asking specifically for an Indonesian coffee - she liked that I knew my regions. I walked away with about a 1/2 lb of Sumatra (it is in grams but I have no clue on how many equals what) ground to my specification (paper cone). The packaging was superb as is most of the packaging in these artisinal shops. Beautiful handwritten tags on self sealing bags - love these touches. I then wandered into a rose store. Yup, this gorgeous shop was all about roses and only roses. I purchased a rose candle for my apt and after the shop lady wrapped and placed it in my bag, she cut a fresh rose and added that in too just for flair. Along the way I ran across a shop that sold chicken and all things poultry. I knew it must be good b/c there were folks waiting in line to get lunch emporter (to go). It had one of those fabulous rotisseries out front with chickens roasting round and round. However, the French have gone several steps beyond our average grocery store rotisserie chicken. They place a tray of whole peeled young potatoes on the bottom of the rotisserie that catches the juices of the roasting birds as they twirl above. Yes, they are basically roasted in chicken fat and yes, they are freakin delicious little salty orbs of goodness.
I made it back to the apartment by wandering through the tiny side streets and taking note of all the places I want to find again when Larisa arrives. I've already forgotten all of them. I used to remember everything and every detail of everything. I have noticed lately that my memory is not what it used to be. Oh well, I dropped my treats off at the apt and after a short rest and lunch of the chicken lovingly described above, I decided to find Mariage Freres. This is a famous and fancy tea shop that Jen and I tried to visit last time we were here. We wandered until we found it and right as we got there they stopped service. I vowed I would go back and alas I did. It took me a long time to find it as it's on a tiny side street. I wandered for a good hour or so and ended up at the Hotel de Ville....again.... As I was reviewing my map trying to figure out how I ended up back here, my cell phone rang with Jen's ring tone! I was so excited to hear her voice and even more excited to learn she called me using Skype! It felt like she was right next door and not a zillion miles away - very comforting. She of course wanted to go into research mode for me to help me find my way around better and true to form, by the end of the night here she had already sent me links to Paris apps etc. She's a gem. OK, back to my day - long story short I FINALLY found the tea shop and it was open for service this time. The shop has a retail space up front where they sell fresh scooped tea leaves from beautiful giant metal tea bins. There must be a thousand varieties stacked floor to ceiling with only one guy carefully scooping and weighing tea for shoppers. They also sell already tinned teas in gorgeous packaging (of course). No tea bags here, you wouldn't even dare to ask for them. Whole leaf only of course. There is a small dining room in back where they serve these teas + tea like treats. The waiters all wear off-white linen suits and ties and all are very cute and very gay. The tea menu is a zillion pages with tiny type - every kind of team you can imagine except no tisanes (herbal teas). I didn't want caffeine so my choice was limited to red tea which is not my usual cup of tea (pun intended). I had the rouge avec vanille et agrumes which is African rooibos red with vanilla and orange. It was served in a big porcelin tea pot covered with a metal jacket to keep the heat. It was delicious and worth the 9 EU just for the experience. I know that spending over $10 for a pot of tea is preposterous but I loved it. After that experience I didn't need to buy any tea although I was very tempted to get a couple tea tins...
I was getting geared up for a long walk home and started wandering in the general direction of my apt. Lo and behold after turning a corner I recognized the street ahead was Rue Rambateau (my street). This place is basically around the corner from my apartment and I had gone in a big giant maze of a circle trying to find it. Now I know, I can get there by foot in under 5 min. Whatever
I decided to go out to dinner and tried the sushi joint down the street. I just didn't feel like eating a lot of meat and thought it was a good option. Well, it was and although I was very worried about eating sushi in France it was actually pretty good and the miso soup made me feel at home. Folks here don't really eat dinner until 8:00 or so - which I love. I ended the day with a long soak in the unusually large bathtub for this tiny apt. Read my depressing book (more will come on that later) and fell asleep by midnight. Ahh....the French life feels good.
Still haven't figured out how to post pix. I have them all on my iPhone and don't know how to upload them onto my computer. Of course Jen is researching this for me and I'm sure will have an answer shortly. So...pix of these adventures will eventually follow.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Journey Begins
This is my first ever attempt at blogging anything - I suspect it will improve but here's my first entry.
The journey here was uneventful, which is good with air travel. Air France ain't what it used to be but then again I think that is the case with all of the airlines post 9/11. Every seat was taken and it was cramped for the 10 hour flight. I was grateful for the healthy snacks I packed because of course I could only eat about 1/2 whatever they served us. I should be grateful they served anything at all I suppose.
I found the apartment with ease (as the cabbie took me here) and followed the landlord instructions to a tee. The only problem was that the gal that was supposed to meet me was not there (Christiane). After a flurry of phone calls and visit to the brasserie across the street for tea, I called the realtor of the bldg. I arranged to pick up a key from their office (lugging my luggage) and off I went. As I was walking down the street a cute lady on a bike holding a bunch of fresh lillies shouted out "Are you Nance"? I shouted back "Are you Christiane"? Yes! Thank god because the thought of hauling my tired self + luggage across town was not feeling good. It turns out she was late and lost her cell phone, which is why she didn't answer my zillion calls. I thought to myself...I better be nice to her because she's the one assigned to look after this apt. while I am here and she is eventually going to hear every one of those voice mail messages I left for her....
Turns out it was easy as pie to be nice to her b/c she was so lovely. She is a beautiful 1/2 French 1/2 Ecuadorian gal who grew up in South America and went to college in the US. She is a social worker here in Paris and has to work 2 other jobs to make a living. We talked a lot about the strikes going on and predicted they would continue for a long while. Jen would have fallen in love with her the second she laid eyes on her....
The apartment is cute - tiny by Seattle standards but very functional. There are two bedrooms - the blue one is mine and the pink one will be Larisa's when she arrives. There are windows in every room and a tiny tiny kitchen with the surprise of a dishwasher. The washer and dryer allowed me to pack somewhat minimally however the instructions to operate such washer and dryer are intimidating me. There is no venting in these old buildings so when you take a shower or do laundry you have to open the windows to let the moisture out. Oh, and when you dry clothes they never actually get all the way dry and you have to empty out the water that accumulates after each dry session. Oh well, despite my minimal packing because of this laundry option I still managed to take 44 lbs. worth of stuff. Just a shy 6 lbs til I hit the limit. I am guessing I will want to take back more than 6 lbs worth of goods home with me so another suitcase may be in my future.
Now onto the good stuff. The neighborhood is awesome. I am in the Marais (third arrondisment) on Rue Rambateau which a mere 3 blocks or so from the Centre Pompidou. On my block there is a fromagerie (cheese/dairy shop); boucherie (butcher); greenmarket; Italian deli; Greek deli; 2 specialty coffee roasters and one of the best bakeries in Paris. That's just my block. I was astounded at the bounty and then realized it's kind of like this everywhere in the city and then I remembered why I love it so much....
I am ever so grateful to Reese who got me on Skype before I left. I have been Skype texting with Jen and had my first Skype call with Reese this morning. We laughed over my time conversion method which is "+ or - 3 and opposite". For me in Paris that means add 3 hours to the current time and make it the opposite day or night. So... it is 9:11 in the morning in Paris now. I will add 3 hours (12:11) and make it opposite of the time of day I am in now (night). This means it's just past midnight in Seattle while is only 9:11am in Paris. Hey, the method works for me.
I hope to make other posts very interesting with my adventures. I have to learn how to add pix too. More to come....
The journey here was uneventful, which is good with air travel. Air France ain't what it used to be but then again I think that is the case with all of the airlines post 9/11. Every seat was taken and it was cramped for the 10 hour flight. I was grateful for the healthy snacks I packed because of course I could only eat about 1/2 whatever they served us. I should be grateful they served anything at all I suppose.
I found the apartment with ease (as the cabbie took me here) and followed the landlord instructions to a tee. The only problem was that the gal that was supposed to meet me was not there (Christiane). After a flurry of phone calls and visit to the brasserie across the street for tea, I called the realtor of the bldg. I arranged to pick up a key from their office (lugging my luggage) and off I went. As I was walking down the street a cute lady on a bike holding a bunch of fresh lillies shouted out "Are you Nance"? I shouted back "Are you Christiane"? Yes! Thank god because the thought of hauling my tired self + luggage across town was not feeling good. It turns out she was late and lost her cell phone, which is why she didn't answer my zillion calls. I thought to myself...I better be nice to her because she's the one assigned to look after this apt. while I am here and she is eventually going to hear every one of those voice mail messages I left for her....
Turns out it was easy as pie to be nice to her b/c she was so lovely. She is a beautiful 1/2 French 1/2 Ecuadorian gal who grew up in South America and went to college in the US. She is a social worker here in Paris and has to work 2 other jobs to make a living. We talked a lot about the strikes going on and predicted they would continue for a long while. Jen would have fallen in love with her the second she laid eyes on her....
The apartment is cute - tiny by Seattle standards but very functional. There are two bedrooms - the blue one is mine and the pink one will be Larisa's when she arrives. There are windows in every room and a tiny tiny kitchen with the surprise of a dishwasher. The washer and dryer allowed me to pack somewhat minimally however the instructions to operate such washer and dryer are intimidating me. There is no venting in these old buildings so when you take a shower or do laundry you have to open the windows to let the moisture out. Oh, and when you dry clothes they never actually get all the way dry and you have to empty out the water that accumulates after each dry session. Oh well, despite my minimal packing because of this laundry option I still managed to take 44 lbs. worth of stuff. Just a shy 6 lbs til I hit the limit. I am guessing I will want to take back more than 6 lbs worth of goods home with me so another suitcase may be in my future.
Now onto the good stuff. The neighborhood is awesome. I am in the Marais (third arrondisment) on Rue Rambateau which a mere 3 blocks or so from the Centre Pompidou. On my block there is a fromagerie (cheese/dairy shop); boucherie (butcher); greenmarket; Italian deli; Greek deli; 2 specialty coffee roasters and one of the best bakeries in Paris. That's just my block. I was astounded at the bounty and then realized it's kind of like this everywhere in the city and then I remembered why I love it so much....
I am ever so grateful to Reese who got me on Skype before I left. I have been Skype texting with Jen and had my first Skype call with Reese this morning. We laughed over my time conversion method which is "+ or - 3 and opposite". For me in Paris that means add 3 hours to the current time and make it the opposite day or night. So... it is 9:11 in the morning in Paris now. I will add 3 hours (12:11) and make it opposite of the time of day I am in now (night). This means it's just past midnight in Seattle while is only 9:11am in Paris. Hey, the method works for me.
I hope to make other posts very interesting with my adventures. I have to learn how to add pix too. More to come....
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